Ben Hill County commissioners rehire top staff, approve tax resolutions and holiday calendar
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
At their Jan. 7 meeting, Ben Hill County Commissioners unanimously rehired the county manager, county clerk, county attorney and auditing firm, approved two tax-related resolutions and adopted the 2025 holiday calendar; commissioners also reappointed members to local boards and heard annual reports from the tax commissioner and sheriff.
Ben Hill County Commissioners unanimously approved a slate of routine annual actions and resolutions at their Jan. 7 regular meeting at the courthouse annex.
Commissioners voted to rehire County Manager Hampton Raulerson and County Clerk Pamela D. Turner after a motion by Commissioner Daniel Cowan and a second; similar unanimous votes approved retention of county legal counsel Hall, Smith & Booth (managing partner Tony Rowell working with Nick Kinsley) and the county’s auditing firm, Tony Eckler CPA. Commissioner John Mooney nominated Commissioner Hope Harmon for Vice-Chair and the board closed nominations by vote.
The board approved two resolutions affecting the tax office. Commissioner John Mooney moved to adopt a resolution granting the Tax Commissioner authority to waive penalties and interest; Vice-Chair Hope Harmon seconded and the motion passed with all five commissioners voting in favor. The board also approved a resolution authorizing the Tax Commissioner to accept payments of taxes and fees.
Other actions included unanimous reappointments: Scott Spivey to the Hospital Board and Becky Gay and Nickie Smith to the Fitzgerald–Ben Hill Library Board. Commissioners adopted the 2025 Holiday Calendar after a motion by Vice-Chair Hope Harmon.
Tax Commissioner Barry Foster reported on 2024 collections, saying collections were high in dollar terms but that collection rates were down about 9 percent; he also noted the tax sale is scheduled for the first Tuesday in March. Sheriff Lee Cone presented the sheriff’s 2024 statistics and thanked the county and the City of Fitzgerald for supporting formation of a joint task force with the Fitzgerald Police Department.
The meeting included routine approvals of prior meeting minutes and a notice that Vice-Chair Hope Harmon and Chairman Hal Wiley plan to attend an Eggs & Issues event with the Georgia Chamber in Atlanta to discuss legislative priorities.
The meeting adjourned after brief commissioner remarks. The commissioners recorded formal motions and unanimous votes on the items above; no contested or split votes were recorded.